I think that it is good that the world is working to help preserve this area of vast biodiversity, but I think it is also setting a dangerous precedent. What is to stop Ecuador to demand more payments in the future as oil prices go up? As oil reserves dwindle and prices soar, I suspect any part of the planet harboring oil is in danger. I wish they could drill for oil without destroying the ecosystem. Maybe that is the best that we can hope for: that the payments buy time for oil drilling to become less environmentally damaging? Of course the current rate of disastrous oil spills do not give me great hope.
Source: audubonmagazine.org
